---
title: "Prisma Config reference"
metaTitle: "Reference documentation for the prisma config file"
metaDescription: "This page gives an overview of all Prisma config options available for use."
sidebar_label: "Prisma Config"
---

## Overview

The Prisma Config file configures the Prisma CLI, including subcommands like `migrate` and `studio`, using TypeScript.

:::info[Prisma ORM v7 changes]

Starting with Prisma ORM v7, when you run `prisma init`, a `prisma.config.ts` file is automatically created. The database connection URL is now configured in this file instead of in the `schema.prisma` file. See [Using environment variables](#using-environment-variables) for setup details.

:::

You can define your config in either of two ways:

- Using the `defineConfig` helper:
  ```ts
  import 'dotenv/config'
  import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

  export default defineConfig({
    schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
    migrations: { 
      path: 'prisma/migrations',
      seed: 'tsx prisma/seed.ts',
    },
    datasource: { 
      url: env("DATABASE_URL") 
    }
  });
  ```

- Using TypeScript's `satisfies` operator with the `PrismaConfig` type:
  ```ts
  import 'dotenv/config'
  import type { PrismaConfig } from "prisma";
  import { env } from "prisma/config";

  export default {
    schema: "prisma/schema.prisma",
    migrations: {
      path: "prisma/migrations",
      seed: 'tsx prisma/seed.ts',
    },
    datasource: { 
      url: env("DATABASE_URL") 
    }
  } satisfies PrismaConfig;
  ```

## Configuration interface

Here is a simplified version of the `PrismaConfig` type:

```ts
export declare type PrismaConfig = {

  // Whether features with an unstable API are enabled.
  experimental: {
    externalTables: boolean;
  },

  // The path to the schema file, or path to a folder that shall be recursively searched for *.prisma files.
  schema?: string;

  // Configuration for Prisma migrations.
  migrations?: {
    path: string;
    seed: string;
    initShadowDb: string;
  };

  // Configuration for the database view entities.
  views?: {
    path: string;
  };

  // Configuration for the `typedSql` preview feature.
  typedSql?: {
    path: string;
  };
  
  // Database connection configuration
  datasource?: {
    url: string;
    shadowDatabaseUrl?: string;
  }
  
};
```

:::note[Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier]

In Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier, the configuration interface also included:
- `experimental.adapter` and `experimental.studio` flags
- `adapter` property for configuring driver adapters
- `studio` property for Prisma Studio configuration
- `datasource.directUrl` property for direct database connections
- `engine` property for choosing between `classic` and `js` engines

These have been removed in Prisma ORM v7. See the individual property sections below for migration guidance.

:::

## Supported file extensions

Prisma Config files can be named as `prisma.config.*` or `.config/prisma.*` with the extensions `js`, `ts`, `mjs`, `cjs`, `mts`, or `cts`. Other extensions are supported to ensure compatibility with different TypeScript compiler settings.

:::tip[Recommendation]

- Use **`prisma.config.ts`** for small TypeScript projects.  
- Use **`.config/prisma.ts`** for larger TypeScript projects with multiple configuration files (following the [`.config` directory proposal](https://github.com/pi0/config-dir)).  

:::

## Options reference


### `schema`

Configures how Prisma ORM locates and loads your schema file(s). Can be a file or folder path. Relative paths are resolved relative to the `prisma.config.ts` file location. See [here](/orm/prisma-schema/overview/location#multi-file-prisma-schema) for more info about schema location options.

| Property | Type     | Required | Default                                        |
| -------- | -------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `schema` | `string` | No       | `./prisma/schema.prisma` and `./schema.prisma` |


### `tables.external` and `enums.external`

These options declare tables and enums in your database that are **managed externally** (not by Prisma Migrate). You can still query them with Prisma Client, but they will be ignored by migrations.

| Property          | Type       | Required | Default |
| ----------------- | ---------- | -------- | ------- |
| `tables.external` | `string[]` | No       | `[]`    |
| `enums.external`  | `string[]` | No       | `[]`    |

**Example:**

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
  experimental: {
    externalTables: true,
  },
  tables: {
    external: ["public.users"],
  },
  enums: {
    external: ["public.role"],
  },
});
```

Learn more about the [`externalTables` feature here](/orm/prisma-schema/data-model/externally-managed-tables). 

### `migrations.path`

The path to the directory where Prisma should store migration files, and look for them.

| Property          | Type     | Required | Default |
| ----------------- | -------- | -------- | ------- |
| `migrations.path` | `string` | No       | none    |

### `migrations.seed`

This option allows you to define a script that Prisma runs when you execute the `npx prisma db seed` command. The string should be a command that can be executed in your terminal, such as with `node`, `ts-node`, or `tsx`.

:::info[Prisma ORM v7 changes]

In Prisma ORM v7, seeding is only triggered explicitly via `npx prisma db seed`. In Prisma ORM v6 and earlier, the seed script also ran automatically after `prisma migrate dev` and `prisma migrate reset`.

:::

| Property          | Type     | Required | Default |
| ----------------- | -------- | -------- | ------- |
| `migrations.seed` | `string` | No       | none    |

**Example:**

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
    seed: 'tsx db/seed.ts',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
});
```

### `migrations.initShadowDb`

This option allows you to define SQL statements that Prisma runs on the **shadow database** before creating migrations. It is useful when working with [external managed tables](/orm/prisma-schema/data-model/externally-managed-tables), as Prisma needs to know about the structure of these tables to correctly generate migrations.

| Property                  | Type     | Required | Default |
| ------------------------- | -------- | -------- | ------- |
| `migrations.initShadowDb` | `string` | No       | none    |

**Example:**

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
    initShadowDb: `
      CREATE TABLE public.users (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY);
    `,
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
  experimental: {
    externalTables: true,
  },
  tables: {
    external: ["public.users"],
  },
});
```

Learn more about the [`externalTables` feature here](/orm/prisma-schema/data-model/externally-managed-tables). 

### `views.path`

The path to the directory where Prisma should look for the SQL view definitions.

| Property     | Type     | Required | Default |
| ------------ | -------- | -------- | ------- |
| `views.path` | `string` | No       | none    |

### `typedSql.path`

The path to the directory where Prisma should look for the SQL files used for generating typings via [`typedSql`](/orm/prisma-client/using-raw-sql/typedsql).

| Property        | Type     | Required | Default |
| --------------- | -------- | -------- | ------- |
| `typedSql.path` | `string` | No       | none    |

### `experimental`

Enables specific experimental features in the Prisma CLI.

| Property         | Type      | Required | Default |
| ---------------- | --------- | -------- | ------- |
| `externalTables` | `boolean` | No       | `false` |

Example:

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
  experimental: {
    externalTables: true,
  },
});
```

:::note

If you use the `externalTables` feature without enabling the experimental flag, Prisma will throw an error:

```terminal
Failed to load config file "~" as a TypeScript/JavaScript module. Error: Error: The `externalTables` configuration requires `experimental.externalTables` to be set to `true`.
```

:::

:::info[Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier]

In Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier, the `experimental` object also included `adapter` and `studio` flags. These have been removed in Prisma ORM v7. See the [`adapter`](#adapter-removed) and [`studio`](#studio-removed) sections for details.

:::


### `datasource.url`

Connection URL including authentication info. Most connectors use [the syntax provided by the database](/orm/reference/connection-urls#format).

:::info[Prisma ORM v7 changes]

In Prisma ORM v7, the `url` field is configured in `prisma.config.ts` instead of in [the `datasource` block of your `schema.prisma`](/orm/prisma-schema/overview/data-sources) file. When you run `prisma init`, the generated `schema.prisma` file will not include a `url` property in the `datasource` block.

For Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier, the `url` field remains in the `schema.prisma` file's `datasource` block.

::: 

| Property         | Type               | Required | Default           |
| --------         | ------------------ | -------- | ----------------- |
| `datasource.url` | `string`           | Yes       | `''`              |

**Example:**

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
});
```


### `datasource.shadowDatabaseUrl`

Connection URL to the shadow database used by Prisma Migrate. Allows you to use a cloud-hosted database as the shadow database.

:::info[Prisma ORM v7 changes]

In Prisma ORM v7, the `shadowDatabaseUrl` field is configured in `prisma.config.ts` instead of in the `datasource` block of your `schema.prisma` file.

For Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier, the `shadowDatabaseUrl` field remains in the `schema.prisma` file's `datasource` block.

:::

| Property                       | Type               | Required | Default           |
| --------                       | ------------------ | -------- | ----------------- |
| `datasource.shadowDatabaseUrl` | `string`           | No       | `''`              |


### `datasource.directUrl` (Removed)

:::warning[Removed in Prisma ORM v7]

The `datasource.directUrl` property has been removed in Prisma ORM v7 in favor of the [`url` property](#datasourceurl).

:::

<details>
<summary>For Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier</summary>

Connection URL for direct connection to the database.

If you use a connection pooler URL in the `url` argument (for example, pgBouncer), Prisma CLI commands that require a direct connection to the database use the URL in the `directUrl` argument. 

The `directUrl` property is supported by Prisma Studio from version 5.1.0 upwards. The `directUrl` property is not needed when using [Prisma Postgres](/postgres) database.

| Property               | Type               | Required | Default           |
| --------               | ------------------ | -------- | ----------------- |
| `datasource.directUrl` | `string`           | No       | `''`              |

</details>


### `adapter` (Removed)

:::warning[Removed in Prisma ORM v7]

The `adapter` property has been removed in Prisma ORM v7. Migrations for driver adapters work automatically without additional configuration in `prisma.config.ts` as of Prisma ORM v7.

:::

<details>
<summary>For Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier</summary>

A function that returns a Prisma driver adapter instance which is used by the Prisma CLI to run migrations. The function should return a `Promise` that resolves to a valid Prisma driver adapter.

| Property          | Type                                                           | Required | Default |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ------- |
| `adapter` | `() => Promise<SqlMigrationAwareDriverAdapterFactory>` | No       | none    |

Example using the Prisma ORM D1 driver adapter:

```ts
import path from "node:path";
import type { PrismaConfig } from "prisma";
import { PrismaD1 } from "@prisma/adapter-d1";

export default {
  experimental: {
    adapter: true
  },
  engine: "js",
  schema: path.join("prisma", "schema.prisma"),
  async adapter() {
    return new PrismaD1({
      CLOUDFLARE_D1_TOKEN: process.env.CLOUDFLARE_D1_TOKEN,
      CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID: process.env.CLOUDFLARE_ACCOUNT_ID,
      CLOUDFLARE_DATABASE_ID: process.env.CLOUDFLARE_DATABASE_ID,
    });
  },
} satisfies PrismaConfig;
```

:::note

As of [Prisma ORM v6.11.0](https://github.com/prisma/prisma/releases/tag/6.11.0), the D1 adapter has been renamed from `PrismaD1HTTP` to `PrismaD1`.

:::

</details>

### `engine` (Removed)

:::warning[Removed in Prisma ORM v7]

The `engine` property has been removed in Prisma ORM v7.

:::

<details>
<summary>For Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier</summary>

Configure the schema engine your project should use.

| Property | Type               | Required | Default           |
| -------- | ------------------ | -------- | ----------------- |
| `engine` | `classic` or `js`  | No       | `classic`         |

By default it is set to use the classic engine, which requires that `datasource` be set in your `prisma.config.ts`. 

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import path from "node:path";
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";
export default defineConfig({
  engine: "classic",
  datasource: {
      url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
  schema: path.join("prisma", "schema.prisma"),
});
```

</details>


### `studio` (Removed)

:::warning[Removed in Prisma ORM v7]

The `studio` property has been removed in Prisma ORM v7. To run Prisma Studio, use:

```terminal
npx prisma studio --config ./prisma.config.ts
```

Prisma Studio now uses the connection configuration from the `datasource` property automatically. See the [Prisma Studio documentation](/orm/reference/prisma-cli-reference#studio) for more details.

:::

<details>
<summary>For Prisma ORM v6.19 and earlier</summary>

Configures how Prisma Studio connects to your database. See sub-options below for details.

| Property | Type     | Required | Default |
| -------- | -------- | -------- | ------- |
| `studio` | `object` | No       | none    |

#### `studio.adapter` (Removed)

A function that returns a Prisma driver adapter instance. The function receives an `env` parameter containing environment variables and should return a `Promise` that resolves to a valid Prisma driver adapter.

| Property          | Type                                                           | Required | Default |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ------- |
| `studio.adapter ` | `(env: Env) => Promise<SqlMigrationAwareDriverAdapterFactory>` | No       | none    |

Example using the Prisma ORM LibSQL driver adapter:

```ts
import type { PrismaConfig } from "prisma";

export default {
  experimental: {
    studio: true
  },
  engine: "js",
  studio: {
    adapter: async (env: Env) => {
      const { PrismaLibSQL } = await import("@prisma/adapter-libsql");
      const { createClient } = await import("@libsql/client");

      const libsql = createClient({
        url: env.DOTENV_PRISMA_STUDIO_LIBSQL_DATABASE_URL,
      });
      return new PrismaLibSQL(libsql);
    },
  },
} satisfies PrismaConfig;
```

</details>

## Common patterns

### Setting up your project

To get started with Prisma Config, create a `prisma.config.ts` file in your project root. You can use either of these approaches:

Using `defineConfig`:

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
});
```

Using TypeScript types:

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import type { PrismaConfig } from "prisma";
import { env } from "prisma/config";

export default {
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
} satisfies PrismaConfig;
```

### Using environment variables

:::info[Prisma ORM v7 changes]

In Prisma ORM v7, when you run `prisma init`, the generated `prisma.config.ts` file includes `import 'dotenv/config'` by default. You must install the `dotenv` package to use environment variables.

:::

When using `prisma.config.ts`, environment variables from `.env` files need to be loaded explicitly. There are several approaches depending on your runtime and Node version:

#### Using dotenv (Recommended for Prisma ORM v7)

1. Install the `dotenv` package:

```terminal
npm install dotenv
```

2. Import `dotenv/config` at the top of your `prisma.config.ts` file:

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
    seed: 'tsx prisma/seed.ts',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
});
```

#### Using Node.js v20+ or tsx with --env-file flag

If using Node.js v20+ or `tsx`, you can pass a `--env-file` flag to automatically load environment variables:

```terminal
tsx --env-file=.env src/index.ts
tsx watch --env-file=.env --env-file=.local.env src/index.ts
tsx --env-file=.env ./prisma/seed.ts
```

#### Using Bun

For Bun, `.env` files are automatically loaded without additional configuration.

#### Type-safe environment variables

Use the `env()` helper function to provide type-safe access to environment variables:

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

type Env = {
  DATABASE_URL: string
}

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env<Env>('DATABASE_URL'),
  },
});
```

#### Handling optional environment variables

The `env()` helper function from `prisma/config` **throws an error** if the specified environment variable is not defined. This is important to understand because:

- Every Prisma CLI command loads the `prisma.config.ts` file
- Only **some** commands actually need the `datasource.url` value (e.g., `prisma db *`, `prisma migrate *`, `prisma generate --sql`)
- Commands like `prisma generate` don't need a database URL, but will still fail if `env()` throws an error when loading the config file

For example, if you run `prisma generate` without `DATABASE_URL` set, and your config uses `env('DATABASE_URL')`, you'll see:

```terminal
Error: PrismaConfigEnvError: Missing required environment variable: DATABASE_URL
```

**Solution:** If your environment variable isn't guaranteed to exist (e.g., in CI/CD pipelines where you only run `prisma generate` for type-checking), don't use the `env()` helper. Instead, access the environment variable directly:

```ts
import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  migrations: {
    path: 'prisma/migrations',
  },
  datasource: {
    url: process.env.DATABASE_URL!, // Or use: process.env.DATABASE_URL ?? '' to provide a fallback value
  },
});
```

:::note

Use the `env()` helper when you want to **enforce** that an environment variable exists. Use `process.env` directly when the variable may be optional depending on the command being run.

:::

### Using multi-file schemas

If you want to split your Prisma schema into multiple files, you need to specify the path to your Prisma schema folder via the `schema` property:

```ts
import path from "node:path";
import type { PrismaConfig } from "prisma";

export default {
  schema: path.join("prisma", "schema"),
} satisfies PrismaConfig;
```

In that case, your `migrations` directory must be located next to the `.prisma` file that defines the `datasource` block.

For example, assuming `schema.prisma` defines the `datasource`, here's how how need to place the migrations folder:

```
# `migrations` and `schema.prisma` are on the same level
.
├── migrations
├── models
│   ├── posts.prisma
│   └── users.prisma
└── schema.prisma
```

## Path resolution

Prisma CLI commands such as `prisma validate` or `prisma migrate` use `prisma.config.ts` (or `.config/prisma.ts`) to locate your Prisma schema and other resources.

**Key rules:**

- Paths defined in the config file (e.g., `schema`, `migrations`) are always resolved **relative to the location of the config file**, not where you run the CLI command from.
- The CLI must first **find the config file** itself, which depends on how Prisma is installed and the package manager used.


### Behavior with `pnpm prisma`

When Prisma is installed locally and run via `pnpm prisma`, the config file is detected automatically whether you run the command from the project root or a subdirectory.

Example project tree:

```
.
├── node_modules
├── package.json
├── prisma-custom
│   └── schema.prisma
├── prisma.config.ts
└── src
```

Example run from the project root:

```bash
pnpm prisma validate
# → Loaded Prisma config from ./prisma.config.ts
# → Prisma schema loaded from prisma-custom/schema.prisma
```

Example run from a subdirectory:

```bash
cd src
pnpm prisma validate
# → Still finds prisma.config.ts and resolves schema correctly
```

### Behavior with `npm exec prisma` or `bun prisma`

When running via `npm exec prisma` or `bun prisma`, the CLI only detects the config file if the command is run from the **project root** (where `package.json` declares Prisma).

Example run from the project root:

```bash
npm exec prisma validate
# → Works as expected
```

Run from a subdirectory (fails):

```bash
cd src
npm exec prisma validate
# → Error: Could not find Prisma Schema...
```

To fix this, you can use the `--config` flag:

```bash
npm exec prisma -- --config ../prisma.config.ts validate
```

### Global Prisma installations

If Prisma is installed globally (`npm i -g prisma`), it may not find your `prisma.config.ts` or `prisma/config` module by default.
To avoid issues:

- Prefer local Prisma installations in your project.
- Or use `prisma/config` locally and pass `--config` to point to your config file.

### Monorepos

- If Prisma is installed in the **workspace root**, `pnpm prisma` will detect the config file from subdirectories.
- If Prisma is installed in a **subpackage** (e.g., `./packages/db`), run commands from that package directory or deeper.

### Custom config location

You can specify a custom location for your config file when running Prisma CLI commands:

```terminal
prisma validate --config ./path/to/myconfig.ts
```

## Loading environment variables

:::info[Prisma ORM v7 changes]


In Prisma ORM v7, `prisma init` generates a `prisma.config.ts` file automatically. To load environment variables with `dotenv`, do the following:

1. Install the `dotenv` package.
2. Add `import 'dotenv/config'` at the top of your `prisma.config.ts` file.

This is required for Prisma to read values from your `.env` file.
:::

To load environment variables in your Prisma application, you can use the `prisma.config.ts` file along with the `env` helper from `prisma/config`. This approach provides better type safety and configuration management.

1. Install the `dotenv` package:

    ```bash
    npm install dotenv
    ```

2. Create a `.env` file in your project root (if it doesn't exist) and add your database connection string:

    ```env
    DATABASE_URL="your_database_connection_string_here"
    ```

3. Ensure your `prisma.config.ts` file imports `dotenv/config` at the top:

    ```ts file=prisma.config.ts
    // add-start
    import 'dotenv/config'
    // add-end
    import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

    export default defineConfig({
      schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
      migrations: {
        path: 'prisma/migrations',
        seed: 'tsx prisma/seed.ts',
      },
      datasource: {
        url: env("DATABASE_URL"),
      },
    });
    ```

